Trust Me, I Work in Fiction

A few weeks ago, my novel, Bitter on the Tongue, was shortlisted for the Irish Writers Centre's International Debut Novel Competition. Bitter on the Tongue is a historical novel set in 1403 on the Welsh border. It examines the practice of 'sin-eating' – a medieval funerary rite in which food was eaten above a casket in an attempt to absolve the deceased of their sins (a peculiar inversion of transubstantiation). The novel explores queer identity in relation to disgust as a moral force deeply intertwined with faith, food, shame, power and sexual autonomy. 

At this very early stage in my career, receiving feedback on the novel has given me a huge boost as I head into the second year of my MA in Creative Writing. Hearing that a published author considered my work to be 'wonderfully impressive … sensory, rich and fully immersive' has really helped me to take my own writing seriously as I continue the daunting journey towards publication. 

This journey began at LEH. At school, my love for writing was supported by amazing teachers and extracurricular activities. From attending LEH's sixth form as an Art Scholar, to creating an illustrated children's book for my EPQ (Extended Project Qualification), creativity was always at the forefront of my education. One of the most transformative experiences I had was being part of the first cohort of '…the girl writes', a mentorship programme with playwright Rachel Harper. The resulting script, which I co-wrote with fellow student Diya Sengupta, Class of 2022, became the school play and was later shortlisted for the Paines Plough Women's Prize for Playwriting. At the time of the shortlisting, Diya and I were the youngest playwrights ever to be shortlisted for the prize. 

After leaving LEH, I studied English at Pembroke College, Cambridge, where my second play, Negotiating with the Dead, was awarded the Pembroke Players' Prize for Playwriting. Over the last year, as editor of the feminist play collection Sphinx: Six Feminist Classics, I began to appreciate just how radical the self-belief I learnt at LEH was, and how much the support of my teachers transformed my life. Once I'd written my first project, doing it again felt possible. 

If I could offer any advice to those starting out in the arts, it would be to develop your skills as broadly as possible. By saying yes to some weird, eclectic jobs, I have built varied skills that have, in turn, opened up opportunities for me to work on more projects. First, I had to break the illusion that everyone else knew what they were doing and I was the only one learning on the job. But everyone (occasionally) has to make it up as they go along. Trust me, I work in fiction. 

By Amie Brian, Class of 2022.